Fife children are stars in the making

An award-winning music outreach programme run by the University of St Andrews is taking over bandstands in St Andrews, Cupar and Dunfermline this weekend to enable children from local brass bands to reach for the stars.

The StAMP (St Andrews Music Participation) programme has been working with composer Andrew Knight-Hill and astronomer Anne-Marie Weijmans to create an immersive piece of music designed to be performed at the bandstands.

The children will play the piece from memory whilst moving around the bandstand to an electronic backing inspired by themes of astronomy – in particular stellar evolution, the life cycle of stars.

The cosmic vision of the piece is a development of previous work from the longstanding arts, science and music project from the university called Shine. Children who have been learning brass through StAMP have worked on such astronomy projects before.

Commenting about the project and why music and astronomy go so well together, Anne-Marie Weijmans from the School of Physics and Astronomy said: “So often when music and astronomy are linked it is about using music to create a sense of awe and wonderment about the cosmos, but there is so much more. We’ve really worked to have the music and astronomy closely linked and I think the children have really benefitted from this.”

Part of the music performed at the bandstands will also be used in an installation at the observatory in St Andrews around the summer solstice in June – “in colour” is an exciting new art installation that will both fill and wrap around the former St Andrews observatory with sound, colour, light and shadow in a uniquely immersive experience.

Through the power of the mid-summer sun, “in colour” seeks to bring back a memory of the telescope once housed there but, in this new configuration, rather than looking through the telescope viewers now inhabit it and can revel in the actions and interactions of the light once caught inside it.

Tim Fitzpatrick, the artist behind the installation commented: “This collaboration has given us all an amazing opportunity to breathe life into the old, unused observatory and it’s been thrilling to see new light brought into the dome which has been closed and dark for many years.

Ellen Thomson, Head of Outreach at the Laidlaw Music Centre, has driven the multi-faceted project and has observed how the children and their local brass bands have responded to working on an interdisciplinary project. She said: “Our young musicians have had fun developing this piece over the past few months. They have all risen to the challenge brilliantly and I can’t wait to hear them play.”

You can hear the performances at:

Saturday 10 June, 11am

Cupar Bandstand, KY15 4HH

Featuring: Tullis Russell Mills Band, The Wizards, Cupar Beginners Brass

Saturday 10 June, 3pm

St Andrews Bandstand, KY16 9AB

Featuring: Kingdom Brass, Kingdom Brass Youth, St Andrews Brass

Sunday 11 June, 3pm

Dunfermline Bandstand, KY127QL

Featuring: Clackmannan District Brass Band and Beginner Band

View “in colour” installation here:

St Andrews Observatory

Buchanan Gardens, KY169LZ

Wednesday 21 June, 8am-11am; Thursday 22 June, 8am-11am; Friday 23 June, 8am-11am and 2pm-5pm; Saturday 24 June, 8am-11am

No tickets or prebooking are necessary for any of the events and there is no admission charge